Nonprofit Gives Free Housecleanings To Cancer Patients

When Debbie Sardone first launched her maid service company, Buckets & Bows, more than 30 years ago, she was working out of the trunk of her car. It didn’t take long before the small business owner out of Lewisville, Texas, became a rising star in the residential cleaning industry. 

 Within a few years, Sardone had managed to grow her small operation into one of the largest independent maid services in the country. She then catapulted her success by creating several more businesses, including among them, a consulting firm, a cleaning supplies company and a charity organization.

While her maid cleaning service continues to expand, earning the company nearly $1 million in annualized sales, it has been giving away her services for free that has earned the entrepreneur the most recognition.

Sardone is the founder of Cleaning For A Reason, a non-profit organization that provides maid services to cancer-stricken women free of charge. She says heading the organization has been the most rewarding part of her professional career, so far.
“It’s very nice to grow a business, and succeed in business,” Sardone says. “But none of that is as rewarding as the hug from the lady who has just had her house cleaned.”

Cleaning For A Reason matches maid services to cancer patients in their own communities. The companies agree to take on two patients at a time, both of whom will receive four free cleanings. The women are selected through an online application process that includes physician verification.

The foundation has provided 14,000 house cleanings to women undergoing cancer treatment, through more than 1,000 maid services. While that number sounds high, Sardone says it is a smidgen of the 20,000 professional cleaning companies in the United States and just a fraction of the millions of women affected by cancer each year.

“While the rest of the country is focused on the cure, we’re focused on the practical help, today,” Sardone says. “There’s nothing better than walking in a clean home.”